Musical Bonds
by Shellin8
Summary: Will and Caroline, now 3, still have their musical bond. This is meant to be a companion piece to You Got It. Sorry I've been so absent- complete craziness at work and no time to write. Took me FOREVER to get this story done, but I hope to be back to submitting regularly now! Please review if you like it and have the opportunity! Thanks, and happy reading!


Mackenzie loved Saturday mornings.

She got to lazily drink coffee on her couch, read the newspaper at her leisure, and spend time with her family, uninterrupted by work and meetings and deadlines.

She especially loved that her husband of nearly four years let her sleep in on Saturdays, which meant until at least 8:30 these days, where she was warm and surrounded by the softest blankets and had nary a care.

It would have been better, she thought, if Will stayed in bed with her, but he knew she needed the reprieve more than he did, and if he stayed with her they wouldn't really be getting any rest. And that would be because of one impish three year old girl named Caroline.

Caroline Elise McAvoy, age three, was a sunny and energetic child, observant and verbally advanced. She looked very much like her mother, dainty and porcelain-skinned, but with the blue eyes and red-blonde hair of her father. Her skills ranged from almost reading, knowing more than half the adults around her, and being a skillful negotiator. She was an avid listener, and when her parents argued, she paid attention. She could argue her point convincingly and outsmarted her usually tired parents on a regular basis, on topics ranging from why she shouldn't have to eat vegetables to why she deserved a later bedtime. She was also musically inclined. She loved all music and had a strong voice for a preschooler, a fact not lost on her father. A big part of the reason Mackenzie got to sleep in on Saturdays was because that was the time Will devoted to Carrie's weekly music lesson.

Will had bought Caroline her own guitar, a miniature version of his Yamaha acoustic, which she coveted, for her third birthday a few weeks prior. He had surprised her with it, and while it didn't hold the mystique of Daddy's, she was still excited at the prospect of being able to play along with him. Today was her fourth lesson.

"Care Bear, do you remember how to do a 'G'?" Will asked her.

Caroline narrowed her eyes, which crinkled in the corners like her mother's. "Yes, Daddy," she said with practiced patience. Will shook his head, but smiled. This girl was a quick study and he loved her impatience. She was eating this up.

"OK, then, today we'll learn 'E'," Will went on. "You know 'A', 'D','C', 'F', and 'G'. Now you need to know 'E', OK?" Caroline nodded solemnly. She took her lessons seriously.

Will came around and sat next to her. He picked up his guitar and put his fingers on the strings. Caroline leaned forward so she could see, and quickly copied him, putting her still-chubby fingers in the right places on the strings. Will looked over and smiled. "OK, Carrie. Ready? Let's strum."

Will called out the note changes and Caroline, ever the diligent student, moved her fingers to the appropriate frets on the neck of her miniature guitar with a scowl of concentration. It was all Will could do to not laugh at her determination. She looked much like when Mackenzie was busy writing copy at her computer in the office. When they had gone through the notes for several minutes, strumming along together, Will gave one last strum and stopped. Caroline did the same one beat after her father did, and looked up expectantly.

"I think, little Miss McAvoy, that you're ready for a real song," Will said to his daughter. "Do you want to learn one? There are words so you can sing along, too," he said and smiled.

"Oh, yes, Daddy," Caroline replied. "I want to learn the song!" She had jumped off her chair and was twirling around, performing little pirouettes on the hardwood floor. Her mother and Aunt Sloan had taught her that, as had the ballet teacher at her preschool, who had also said Caroline was a quick study. Will had to smile. This graceful, precocious, and gifted child was his. He and Mackenzie had created this extraordinary girl, who could sing and dance and play the guitar and argue and reason… The amount of pride Will felt in his child was immense. He had become the very thing he used to make fun of: the doting parent who prattled on and on about his child, showing pictures of her to anyone who paused politely to look.. Well, she *was* amazing, he reasoned. A product of he and Mackenzie couldn't be anything but.

"OK, Care Bear. Here's how it goes." Will slowly sang and played "This Land is Your Land," while overemphasizing the changes so Caroline could see him moving his fingers from one note to the next. After he went through the first verse once, he had her pick up her guitar and go through it with him, stopping only once to help her move her fingers. They got through the verse and did it again, a little faster, and Will marveled at how quickly she was figuring it out.

When they had gone through the music four times Caroline had gotten it sufficiently for him to sit back and watch her. She went slowly, at first, and as her confidence grew she began to sing and play faster. When she'd gone through the entire verse of the song without stopping or making a mistake, Will was overjoyed. He took her guitar from her and placed it on the table. Then he picked her up and lifted her over his head, causing her to squeal. His elbow would be screaming at him later, but he didn't care. He tossed Carrie's tiny frame up in the air and caught her, causing her to laugh so hard she couldn't breathe. She was convulsing with giggles but the father and daughter didn't realize how involved in each other they had been until a sleepy Mackenzie opened the bedroom door and stood watching them.

"What are you two silly kids doing?" she asked, mock-sternly. Will set their daughter on the floor and she ran headlong into her mother. Mackenzie, for her part, wrapped her arms around her daughter and smiled. "I was dreaming that I heard people laughing, " she said, grinning. "Then I opened one eye and I realized it was you two. Whatever have you been doing out here all morning?" Mac asked.

"Daddy made breakfast, and then we played music!" Caroline shared enthusiastically. "Mommy, I know a SONG now. Daddy taught it to me!"

"He did now, did he?" Mackenzie asked, looking over Caroline's head at Will, a smile curling up the sides of her mouth. "Do I get to hear this song?"

"Daddy, we can do a concert for Mommy!" Caroline trilled, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. "Come on, Daddy," she said, grabbing his hand and attempting to lead him away from hugging Mackenzie.

"Hang on, little girl. First I need to kiss Mommy good morning," he said with a wink directed at Mackenzie. Caroline stepped back and Will put his hands on Mac's upper arms and leaned in to her. She tilted her face up and he kissed her firmly and insistently on her lips. Their daughter watched and giggled. She liked when her parents were affectionate.

"So, do I get to hear some music now?" Mackenzie asked. "I'll pour myself some coffee, and then I want to hear a concert!" she said and smiled.

Caroline picked up her guitar and sat down in one of the wooden dining room chairs. "Mommy, you have to buy a ticket to the concert. That costs money." she said matter-of-factly. Mac looked at Will and raised her eyebrows. Will shrugged and looked sheepish. "She asked me how people who play music for a job make money. I told her ticket sales." He ducked his head down, and glanced up and Mackenzie, who snorted with laughter, then smiled and shook her head.

Will grabbed up his guitar and stood next to Caroline's chair. "Are you ready, Care Bear?" he asked his daughter with a smile.

"Almost, Daddy," Caroline said with measured patience. "Mommy isn't in her seat yet!"

Mackenzie hurried to the living room where she sat on the edge of the couch, feet on the floor, coffee cup resting on her knee. "I'm ready," she called. "Start the show!"

Will counted down, "One, two, three, and four," and right on cue Caroline started to play the opening bars of "This Land is Your Land" along with her father. She was hesitant at first, going slowly so as to not make a mistake, but as her confidence grew she played faster, and with more feeling. She added her sweet little-girl voice to her father's, and they smiled at each other.

Mackenzie sat with her coffee in her lap, smiling broadly at her husband and daughter, and marvelling at how talented Caroline was for her age. She loved that they had a bond that not only made them close, but also brought them both satisfaction. It had been evident since Caroline was born that she never wanted to be second-best at anything. She had her father's determination and her mother's competitive streak. She clearly had musical talent and she was going to run with it, with her father's encouragement.

As they strummed the last notes of This Land is Your Land, Will and Caroline placed their guitars gently on the dining room table and stood side-by-side. Mackenzie clapped uproariously and screamed "Bravo!" as the father and daughter took a bow. As she stood back up, Caroline smiled up at her father and said, "Daddy, I'm going to go play now" and ran off to her room. She came back just as suddenly, hugged her mother, then her father, and scampered back to her room where Will and Mac could hear her humming to herself and, if they knew their daughter at all, playing with her baby dolls.

"That's one amazing little girl," Mac said, gently leaning her head on her husband's shoulder as he sat down beside her on the couch.

"She takes after her mother more than a little," Will said as he kissed the crown of Mackenzie's head.

Mac smiled up at Will and said, "And a lot like her daddy, too.:

"So… what should we do today?" Mac asked. "My day started with a concert, so anything else is going to be anticlimactic!"

The End


End file.
